Hitman
by MikeThatOldKid
Summary: Jaune would stop at nothing to be a student at Beacon. When the only way to get his way into Beacon is to a little extra work on the side, how could he refuse?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Jaune Arc sat on the side of his bed in wait. The entire house was completely calm which was uncharacteristic for the Arc household. It was dark and the only light that shone through his curtains was the dim rays of the moonlight.

His room was as usual messy and unorganised in a way that his mother hated. He never could get Mum to understand that the very fact it was messy meant he had everything where he wanted it to be.

He checked his scroll for the time. One fifty five. Jaune quickly grabbed Crocea Mors and locked it to his belt and then grabbed his backpack containing some money and spare clothes.

It was time to leave.

The blonde slowly opened his bedroom door and peeked through. Completely clear. Jaune let out a sigh of relief and continued into the hallway and down the stairs. All his sisters would be asleep by now maybe except for Sheryl, that girl had sleeping habits. Even if she heard any noises from him she would just assume he was going to the toilet downstairs. The real problem was his parents, particularly his Mum. She hated catching them up and about late at night and would throw a fit.

Jaune got to the bottom of the stairs and stuck his head round the corner.

"Darn it." he whispered to himself. The living room lights were still on.. Was Dad still up?

The hallway led straight to the front door but the living room was right next to it. He would have to be extra careful not to make any noise unlocking the bolts on the door. He tested the wooden floor for sounds and then began sneaking his way forwards.

As he got closer to the door he began hearing his Dad quietly sleeping. Dad had no doubt decided to drink tonight. Jaune frowned, his father had always been like this much to the anger of Jaune's mother. Most of their arguments erupted when she started complaining about his drinking problem. If only Dad hadn't injured himself…

Jaune shook his head. He had to go.

The front door was hefty old thing. Pale green and littered with padlocks to keep unwanted visitors out, it was clearly the door belonging to a Hunter, or ex-Hunter to be exact. Jaune grabbed the key in the pot to the side of the door and unlocked the first padlock. He did the same with a few others before finally grabbing the chain holding the door to the wall.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going, boy?"

Jaune jumped in shock and whirled around towards the living room.

"Aha, um, nowhere?" He stuttered nervously. The only time his Dad swore was when he was angry or drunk and unfortunately for Jaune, this situation might be both.

Arthur Arc sighed and rubbed the ridge of his nose. The man sat up from the armchair but didn't come closer. The reason of course being he was missing his left leg. He reached down and grabbed the bottle of beer and placed it onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Jaune… don't tell me you're going to bloody Beacon." Arthur took another look at him and swore again. "Brothers, you even have my blasted sword on your hip!"

"Well, it's more useful on my hip than in the cupboard gathering dust." Jaune muttered back, growing annoyed at his Father's clear disapproval of his decision.

"You do not want to be a Hunter, boy." His father said rubbing his left thigh, "You're not suited for it."

Jaune clenched his fists in anger. Dad always did this, always telling him he couldn't follow his dream, his destiny. It was fine before the injury, what changed? Obviously Hunters got hurt; that was just a fact of life. He couldn't understand why becoming a Hunter was so bad that he had to stay in this stinking, miserable old neighbourhood where the greatest deed he could do was give the local homeless man some spare change, if he could afford it.

Seeing that Jaune wasn't listening to his words, his father spoke again. "What will your mother think once she found out that her son ran away to risk his life for a city that doesn't care? What would your sisters think once they realise they don't have a brother to confide in."

Jaune shook his head. While he cared for his sisters, it was never him that they came to when they needed help. It was always the other way round.

Jaune Arc was a weakling. Going to Beacon will change that, it _will _change it.

"I'm still going Dad, no matter what."

Arthur shook his head himself and muttered something about Arcs being too stubborn for their own good. "Fine, I'll let you go."

"What?" Jaune looked at him in shock. "I- I mean why? I'm happy you're finally agreeing but-"

"I'll let you go Jaune" Arthur repeated, "I was hoping… you would stop caring so much about it, about my what I used to do. Even after what happened to me you still begged me to tell you stories about my missions and how many Grimm I had decided to kill that day."

The man rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know how you managed to get into Beacon and I won't ask."

Jaune let out a sigh of relief. He was sure his family would freak out if they found out who he decided to deal with to buy his way into becoming a Hunter.

"Just don't get yourself killed. You have a family Jaune, remember that."

Jaune nodded and turned to the door.

"And son…"

The softness of his Father's voice made him stall.

"Don't end up like me alright?"

Without looking back, Jaune walked out into the night.

**Hitman**

Jaune entered the music shop.

He had pondered over coming for a long time. It had been one of the first things Jaune had decided to do once leaving his family to pursue a career as a Hunter. Or attempt to join a prestigious Hunter school. Now that he had the chance to join Beacon, he could settle in this new part of town until he would go off and live at the school.

That was, if he could get the transcripts safe and sound and send them over to Beacon.

"You going to stand there like a lemon or actually walk in?"

Jaune jumped and turned to a small figure behind him. She was a young girl, probably only a couple of years younger than him with red hair and a school uniform.

"Oh! Sorry, just lost in my thoughts…" He laughed sheepishly, moving inside and out her way.

The girl walked in, not even turning to look at him. "Get lost in your thoughts somewhere else…" she grumbled. Jaune followed her venture across the shop with practiced ease, not bothering to be cautious around some of the more expensive and larger instruments that were put out for display. The girl opened a staff door and entered quickly, before returning with a different, more formal uniform than before.

"You… you work here?"

"No… really?" The girl mimicked, indicating at her uniform, "I wouldn't have guessed." Jaune grinded his teeth as the girl walked behind the counter turned away and began working.

"Do you usually snark at your customers?" Jaune asked her.

"No, you're a special case."

"Appreciate it," he muttered under his breath.

The redhead ignored him.

Jaune exhaled, before delving deeper into the music shop. The staff was terrible, but that didn't undermine the actual content of the shop. It had good reviews for a reason.

He walked past a pair of golden brass trumpets and bronze cornets as he neared the stringed-instruments section, a personal favourite of Jaune's. In the corner of the shop, an array of violins, guitars, cellos, a harp, a piano and banjos were presented all in their respective places.

Jaune tentatively picked up a guitar off one of the stands and rested it gently against himself, slowly, so not to make any stupid clumsy mistakes. The guitar was an ordinary brown, wooden and acoustic. He strummed some of the strings curiously and was met with a pleasant harmonious tune. Albeit, a single note.

"This is wicked…" Jaune said to himself.

"You know how to use that thing, right?"

Jaune jumped… again.

"Please! Stop coming out of nowhere." He placed the guitar back on its stand and turned to the red-head, flushing.

The girl shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh, it's my job."

"You're supposed to jump-scare me? That's your job?" Jaune asked.

"No, I have to follow customers around and make sure they don't mess up the store," the girl explained. She paused, "I guess I do help them as well, sometimes."

Jaune sighed and decided to roll with it.

"Right. Anyway, do you have any books on how to learn to play the guitar?"

"Only for ten-year olds," the girl replied, waving heart-heartedly towards a shelf behind him he hadn't noticed, "They're boring but at least they get straight to the point."

"Thanks… I guess."

Jaune grabbed the book and stopped at its cover. A cartoon guitar being stringed by happy, friendly aliens? Eh, he had expected worse.

He turned and took the guitar from its stand and held it out to the red-head, "How much for both?"

"Uh, about 60 lien, not a lot I know. The book is 15 lien, good for beginners. It was made so even Faunus could learn." Jaune handed over the money, frowning. It was a lot, for him anyway.

"Thanks for the help," Jaune said, his excitement to play the guitar winning over his desire to punch the girl, not that he would ever do that.

"Do return the guitar if you've realized you fail miserably at it, that one is my Dad's favorite!" the redhead shouted behind him as he exited the shop.

Jaune ignored the comment and let a smile spread across his face as he swiftly darted back to his apartment, his _very own_ apartment. It wasn't too large or too small, it was simply the right size for him, and only him. He knew he would eventually be staying in Beacon, probably with in a dorm full of guys, but Jaune didn't mind the sense of responsibility the apartment gave him.

He crossed the road, jumping out of the way of a speeding truck, and walked down the pavement with a skip in his step.

Jaune was meeting up with the man sometime the day after. 'Rome' was it? 'Something Torchwick' was the most Jaune could recall. He couldn't deny that he was nervous, after all, this meeting would be deciding whether he would be staying at Beacon or not. It was a life-changing event, it wasn't exactly legal and most of all, the man himself was a tad intimidating. Probably had something to do with the eye-liner, or the bowler hat.

Lost in his musings, Jaune felt himself hit something. He almost dropped the guitar, had he not so firmly grasped it beforehand.

He did manage to stumble over his feet however.

"Ah, darn it." Jaune said.

He looked back behind him, to see what he had hit. But all he saw was only a pair of mismatched eyes, before they swept away into the crowd.

Jaune looked around a bit more, before eventually shrugging and began to walk down to his apartment again.


	2. Chapter 2

The apartment block that Jaune now lived at was of a particular species. Tall and foreboding and not the least friendly looking with the terrible graffiti marking every surface, it was no wonder the prices had been so small compared to the other apartments closer to the centre of Vale.

But as he walked down the dirty hallways to apartment number one hundred and twenty-two, he didn't feel an ounce of worry. Sure, there were most likely going to be some guys looking at him funny or exhausted single moms with five children constantly begging them to stop screaming but at least it was in his price range!

He turned a final corner before finally finding the door. Jaune began scrambling for his keys. It was a fruitless endeavour.

"Where are you?" he muttered as he checked his other pockets.

He took off his jacket and shook it. Loose sweet wrappers and tissue paper fell free onto the floor.

"Oh man, don't tell me it was that girl." The one with the mismatched eyes, it must have been her. "First day on my own and of course I have to be robbed. Way to go Jaune! Real smart!"

He threw his jacket at the ground in frustration.

A jingle was heard.

Jaune spread the jacket out and sure enough, the key was there caught on a loose fabric. He grinned and tore it out. Quickly unlocking his apartment door, the blonde entered with a happy sigh and switched on the light.

"Home sweet home." Jaune jumped down onto the mattress and lay back.

His apartment wasn't anything special, nor was it completely uninhabitable either. Jaune had made sure that there was electricity and most importantly, hot water. That's more than he could say for his old home on the other side of the city.

The only gripe he had really was the complete lack of furniture. Never had Jaune truly regretted taking the old sofa back home for granted.

After all, it was where he and older sisters would sit down covered in blankets. His youngest sister hadn't been born yet, and Carol the second youngest under Jaune was still a baby. His father would stand up and act out his fantastic adventures while working as a Huntsman. Jaune could only remember fond memories of those nights.

Jaune turned over and frowned.

Of course, it all changed when his father came back from one particular mission.

"Why'd he have to go and tell me something like that?" he asked the empty room. "_Don't end up like me,_ huh?

His family weren't fond of the idea of him becoming a Huntsman. Even after all the good it had brought their family, they became reluctant to have another family member go off and be a hero.

The once cosy home become tense after his parents had become unable to pay their bills.

Carol and Julie, being the youngest, didn't understand what was happening at the time but he knew. Jaune knew very well how hard it would be for his father to get a job without legs. Especially in western Vale.

A sharp beeping sound brought him out of his thoughts. Looking to the source, Jaune found only his scroll. Someone was calling him.

"Hello?" he asked, putting the scroll to his ear. He couldn't afford the newer scrolls with video feed. "Who's calling?"

"_Why? I think we met before Jaune,_" the voice replied, "_I'm honestly upset you didn't even think to send me a message._"

Jaune smiled, "Oh hey, it's you! The guy at the bar, right? Roman what-its-face."

The man on the other side laughed, "_Close enough I suppose._"

"You still willing to help?" Jaune asked desperately, "It would probably be better to tell me now rather than later."

"_Of course I am, kid. In fact, how about we settle this tonight?_"

"Tonight?" Jaune asked, pulling the scroll away from his ear to check the time, "Isn't it already quite late?"

The man tutted, "_Please, is seven past your bedtime? I'm a busy man Arc. I can't afford to lose any of my time, but you can._"

Jaune huffed in agreement, "Fine, fine, just tell me where and when and all that."

"_Was that a little moan right there? You need to reconsider your attitude with me young man!_"

"Uh huh?"

"_I'll send you the address and time but don't worry, it shouldn't be too hard to find. Just make sure you're not late._"

His stomach grumbled and he groaned. There won't be any time to eat would there? He'll just eat on the way back, if any restaurants were still open.

"Right," Jaune said, "I'll uh, see you then?"

The scroll let out a long beep, indicating the end of the call.

"Huh, nice guy."

Jaune looked to his mattress in silent longing. He reluctantly turned away and began pulling on his jacket and shoes. Grabbing his key and shoving it into a secure pocket he took one last look at the apartment before leaving.

It was time to get into Beacon.

OoOoO

Jaune had been a bit nervous when he got the phone call an hour ago. A cynical side of him thought that there was going to be a catch, and that no one would give such a generous offer for free, to him no less. But Jaune ignored the voice. If he was going to become a Hunter, Jaune would – _should_ do anything.

And anyway, strangers were just friends you haven't met yet. Right?

But after standing outside a barren, almost ancient, warehouse. Jaune was briefly reconsidering his decisions. _Why did Roman ask to meet up here? _Jaune frowned, _Why not some sort of café?_ The warehouse was large, completely empty but the odd scrap here and there. Dusty windows on the ceiling let only the dim moonlight inside, highlighting the rubbish and graffiti. Despite all this, two clean sofas sat in the centre, facing together, with a coffee table placed between. It was here, Jaune assumed, they would meet.

For all his talk on not being late… If Roman didn't show up in the next five minutes, Jaune would gladly leave. He wiped a hand across his sweating brow, he would have blamed it on the summer heat, but there was no one to lie to. Apart from perhaps, himself. In truth, Jaune was scared.

In fact, he was ready to make a run for it at the slightest chance something seemed off. After all, Jaune wasn't stupid. Roman Torchwick must have been some sort of criminal if he was handing him forged transcripts. And if he was a smart criminal, then Jaune knew that the man would want something from him. It was a massive risk, but then, if he just walked back to his family, what would be there for him? The same overprotective sisters, the same angry cripple of a father, his same terribly strict mother? Jaune couldn't go back there, not yet.

The blonde sat down and silently waited for the man's arrival. Looking at the time on his scroll, Roman would be there any minute now.

The crack of a cane as it hit the solid ground echoed around the warehouse.

"Well, well, well, you sure came early. I'm sure the unlucky girl won't be pleased in nine months' time." Jaune almost yelped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the Roman Torchwick, but only a choking sound was heard.

"Nice to meet you too," Roman mocked, "See Neo, he's not too bad." Jaune turned to Roman's companion, which he had not noticed before until Roman had mentioned her.

"How, how did you get here?" There was only one entrance and exit and that was in the opposite direction. Jaune looked expectantly at Roman, hoping for answers.

"Now, now kiddo, a man has his secrets. And I'm sure this little missy would mind if her secrets were told." 'Neo', as Roman called her, scowled at them both causing a chill to run down Jaune's spine. Maybe he was overreacting, or maybe his gut instinct was awfully critical of his ability to stay alive. Either way, Jaune visibly flinched at her glare and he quickly turned his gaze to Roman, the lesser of two evils.

"Well… you wanted to talk. So, do you…" Jaune started.

"Yes, yes. I have the transcripts," Roman pulled a gleaming smile that frankly scared the shit out of him, "But first things first, let's sit down and have a chat, shall we?" The man gestured behind him to perhaps was one of the more bizarre places to place two antique sofas and a brown, decaying coffee table. Neo instantly made herself comfortable on the less rugged furniture respectively. Roman sat beside her while Jaune sat himself down opposite them, hands clasped together.

"Tea?" Roman asked.

Jaune shook his head, "Um… no thanks."

"Good, because there's none."

"Then why did you…"

"Shush, no time for dawdling," Roman said, a mocking smile aligning his face, "Tell me Jaune, why do you want these transcripts?"

"What?"

"Before I can give you these, you need to tell me _why_ I should give them to you."

Jaune sighed, "Look, money isn't a problem. I asked you to forge my way into Beacon and you've done that."

Roman puffed on his cigar, "I don't want money, Jaune."

"Look man, dude – whatever, I just want to join Beacon alright," Jaune exclaimed, "What do you want?"

Roman frowned, and then snapped his fingers.

In an instant, a blade was pressed against his throat. Jaune froze.

"Look here Jaune, look at me." Roman stubbed out his cigar and placed his bowler hat down beside him, swinging one leg over the other.

"Around here, I'm the one in charge, I'm the one at the top."

Roman leant in.

"And I hate annoying little pests that think they know better. So, don't you dare raise your voice again, do you understand?" Jaune stared at him, before nodding fractionally. "Do you? That doesn't look like nodding to me." Jaune nodded harder.

"Hmm, alright. You can relax Neo." The small girl frowned before lowering her blade. She returned to sit by Roman. Jaune cautiously took his place again, eyeing the girl's umbrella.

"Now," the criminal said, "It seems Jauney, that you really badly want to get into Beacon. So much so that you would speak up against me. Me of all people! Even after I gave such a generous offer. Honestly, I simply am too nice for my own good."

Jaune's breath hitched as Roman pulled out a document from his jacket and swiftly placed it onto the coffee table in front of him, "It's not always that I do something as grateful as this, so consider yourself lucky. Very – _incredibly_ – lucky. But of course, in return for me helping you, I want you to do something for me."

Jaune exhaled. It had been bound to happen.

"A small favour," Roman continued, "Not much at all really." He leant in, a grin forming across his face.

"I want you to work for me."

_Work_? Jaune stared at the man with an unhinged jaw, "What…?" Roman laughed.

"Yes, that's right, I want you to work for me." Roman said, "I'll call you when I need you and you better make sure you arrive as quickly as possible, even if you have to take a bullhead…" He smirked as Jaune shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "But first things first! How about we become more than acquaintances, yes? Nothing wrong with making friends after all, and anyway, you and Neo are going to be working together for a quite a while."

Neo, at least, that's who Jaune assumed she was called, grimaced and her glare on him hardened. He winced.

Roman grinned devilishly, "C'mon kiddo. Let's all be friends."

Jaune clutched the transcripts tighter.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait, I really don't think this is a good idea-"

Jaune was abruptly interrupted as blood splashed across his shocked expression. The throat of their target tore open by a sharp glinting blade. His eyes widened, not truly comprehending what had just happened.

Perhaps if he was religious, he would believe that the soul transcended into another state of being, an afterlife, once the host body had died. But he wasn't, and probably never will be. Couldn't be now. Call him cynical or broody, but to him, death was an end to all ends. The big finale of life. Period. So, when the last of the muffled breaths left the taped man's mouth, Jaune knew full well that there would be no second chances for him. That man may have had a family, friends, loved ones that would mourn for him. They'll cry and cry, and cry some more. Or perhaps they won't. Jaune had no idea.

But the silent girl, grinning from ear to ear down at the whimpering, bloody man, holding the very same glinting knife (fresh blood lay upon it like jam on a bread knife), did not share his empathy. Maybe, in a small corner of her mind, she knew what she was doing was so very wrong. Jaune hoped so, he hoped so very much.

As the muffled screaming slowly began to quieten, his partner got off the man's chest (which should have been rising up and down) and wiped the deadly blade that had been residing in an innocent umbrella only minutes before. Her smile, murderous and gleeful, struck a chord within him. It reminded him of the smiles the children in the streets, near his house, gave him, after they left him battered and broken and gasping for help. It was a smile that screamed so many emotions and they were all deadly.

Jaune turned away from the expression and unfortunately laid eyes on his target, the man he was told to kill. Eyes that had finally rolled back remained motionless and unmoving. A dark puddle of blood gushed from the wound in his neck and a suffocating stench emerged in the room that could have made even the strong willed queasy. But Jaune wasn't very strong willed, and he quickly excused himself to the bathroom.

Jaune spun the handle of the faucet and waited impatiently for the cold water that eventually splashed down into the grimy basin below. Cupping the freezing liquid, Jaune threw the water towards his pale face. Wiping away some droplets of blood that had landed on him beforehand. A minute had passed yet Jaune still couldn't wash the guilt from his face.

Jaune threw up, marking the already filthy sink with his lunch and dinner. Luckily, he had missed breakfast. His shivering fists clenched the side and he stared at his reflection. The face of Jaune Arc, messy blonde hair and a sharp jawline yet his eyes so large and _innocent _and scared they made him look much younger than he was, despite his height. Heavy breaths echoed around the silent bathroom. His jaw tightened.

"Oh…" This wasn't meant to happen, "Damn it all." Why did he agree to this stupid work?

The faint footsteps of his partner, her frown never failing to scare the hell out of him, interrupted his thoughts. Her pink and brown hair swayed with utmost elegance as she strode over to him. Clumsily turning around and attempting a glare, he locked onto the girl.

"What… what is it?" Jaune asked her.

She pulled out her scroll and tapped away as she always did in conversations before handing it over. He never understood why she didn't talk, but then, the strange girl could have been a mute. This line of business was bound to get you a permanent injury. Jaune's trembling hand took the device and he quickly read the instructions.

'_Trash the place, make it look like a thief was trying to rob him'_

He was never able to object to the girl in front of him. Despite the large size difference, which should have given him an advantage, she was more than capable of flooring him, or killing him.

It seemed he was weak wherever he went.

Jaune reluctantly nodded, "I'll… go do that..." The blonde pushed past the pink and brown-haired girl and avoided looking at the body..

Opening a creaking door to the side, Jaune stepped into the main bedroom and started quickly opening drawers and cupboards. As he threw clothes to the side and back, Jaune wondered how he, of all people, had ended up assisting a murder.

The idea was absurd, yet, it had happened; it _was_ happening. And there was nothing Jaune could do to stop it.

There was nothing to stop the guilt that enveloped his body as the corpse rested in the other room.

OoOoOoO

"Why…?" he rasped out, breaking the silence.

Jaune sat in what seemed to be an office. It was much too empty to be considered one, but he didn't have the focus to care. His mind was fixated on other matters.

Roman sat opposite him, eyeing him curiously. A victorious sneer adorned his features as he asked, "Sorry, what was that?" Jaune's fists clenched as he bit his lip to calm himself. The man was just trying to bait him into having an outburst, but he wasn't going to let the criminal have the pleasure.

"You know –" Jaune turned his gaze away from the dirty floor of the warehouse and glowered at Roman, "Why'd you want him dead…?"

Roman snorted and then patted Jaune on the shoulder, "Oh? Is that all? I thought you were going to ask why I asked _you _of all people to join dear Neo on this little operation. Or were you getting to that?" Jaune blushed, but shook his head.

"Just… answer the question."

"Very well," Roman sighed melodramatically, "You see Jauney boy, when you're at the top like me, there are lots of pesky little rodents out there that like to mess around in things they shouldn't be sniffing. Some are spies, others just don't like me. Either way, I want them put down like the animals they are." The criminal jabbed the end of his cane into Jaune's stomach, "Which is where you come in. You're going to put them down, whether you like it or not. We had a deal after all."

Jaune turned away.

"Come now, they're the White Fang. No one cares if a couple of them go missing. And you're being paid! Real lien, of course."

The demon leaned closer, "So, how about you play along eh? I'd like to avoid any… annoying situations. What do you say?" Jaune shook, not daring to look the man in the eye. It went against everything he believed in, all those life lessons which his mother had taught him. A small click from what Jaune assumed was Roman's cane made him jump and he realised that the cane would most likely end his life then and there.

"I-I… dammit…" The blonde let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "Fine… I'll do it."

"Such enthusiasm! I like that in my staff…" Roman mused.

"Just one thing." Jaune swallowed.

Roman's eyes steered back to his. "Oh?"

"The people I'll kill… they're bad people, right?."

The master thief looked at Jaune, and began laughing.

"Hah, that's great. Look kid, you're doing what the VPD should be doing, dealing with the rats that plague this shithole of a city. Go on now… you're not needed. Neo here will contact you when you are." The man with a bowling hat turned and casually spun his cane, "But don't worry Jaune! It won't be long until we meet again!" Nodding to the small girl beside him, Roman left the office cackling.

With a small thud, Neo reluctantly dropped an object down onto the desk in front of him. He glanced at it. He wasn't a weapon genius, nor did he know what type of weapon the object was, but he did know that the weapon was a pistol of some sort. Jaune looked towards Neo, but she had already disappeared.

So this was the weapon he would be using.

He picked up the gun, almost cautiously, as if mishandling the weapon could cause an explosion. Which probably could happen, knowing his clumsiness. Maybe if it was any other day, he would have excitedly pointed the gun around and pretended to shoot. After all, most boys his age hadn't even touched a gun in their lives. But he was exhausted, mentally and physically. And a small sense of disgust for the gun made him want to throw it away.

But he didn't.

There wasn't any point running away anymore. Jaune had already ran away from his home, his family and now his morals. Like some sort of morbid curiosity, Jaune gripped the handle harder. He might as well get used to the feeling anyway, sooner rather than later.

Bile rose from the pits of Jaune's stomach, but he didn't throw up. He could have cried, but he couldn't let himself do that..

What the hell had he got himself into this time?


	4. Chapter 4

Another death, another murder. At least, that's what Detective Keith Brackenwood thought.

There had been a couple of deaths these last months, years even, and they had all been passed off as suicides or robberies gone wrong. It was easy paper work and as much as the media would like to believe that a serial killer was on the loose, there was simply not enough evidence at the crime scenes to pursue further.

Keith however, thought differently. It seemed too perfect, too coincidental that all these particular people, _faunus_, died. It was for this very reason, that the Detective found himself in front of his boss, his leading officer, to get the go to initiate an investigation.

"You wanted to see me, Detective." A brute of a man, his boss was. Large greasy fingers interlocked on the desk and thick black moustache rested under his nose. A voice like gravel, a bald head, Keith's boss was an intimidating man no doubt, but everyone eventually learnt to get used to it. You had to.

"Yes actually," Keith pulled up a chair and sat across from the man, careful not to shake the table, "I wanted to talk about their recent murder, the one last week."

The officer groaned and wiped his hands with a filthy napkin, "It seems, that everyone wants to talk about that recent murder. What is it boy? Anything to add?"

Keith paused, mulling over his words, "I think there's a connection. Between the murder last week and others, all of them listed in the file."

"I understand that your job is to look deeply into things son, you're sure you're not just following the crap spouted on the news lately?" His boss picked up the file and skimmed through the first couple of pages, "Brothers knows how long the Daily Vale has been shitting all over us. Saying we need to be 'progressive', bah. Make up everything, they do." The man sneered.

The detective shrugged, "That's their job, bad mouthing others sells."

"Don't I know it." The man grumbled to himself.

"I'm presenting you this file, boss, and I can sure as hell say that I'm not following the Daily Vale of all things." Keith stressed, "Have a look for yourself."

Keith's boss took a deeper read now, his eyes darting back and forth across the paper. After four minutes, the officer placed the file down and took a sip of his coffee.

"Are you suggesting…" he started, "That these murders are connected?"

Keith nodded, "Yes, I am."

"And the evidence, Detective. Is there evidence in here?"

"I have enough evidence here to prove that each and every person on the list indicated in my file were a part of the White Fang at one point. Each and every one."

Keith waited for his boss to nod.

"What I believe, is that the murderer thinks he's doing the 'right' thing and the law into his own hands. He thinks that he's doing the police a favour by killing these terrorists. Essentially, a bit like Jeffrey Green, you know? The serial-killer who killed female prostitutes because he believed it was just."

His boss stared incredulously at him, "I understand where you're coming from, I really do, but it seems you're mostly just grasping for straws."

"I'm not grasping- alright, I am," Keith brought a hand through his black hair, "This vigilante, if there is one, is killing off White Fang members one by one and once the media takes notice – and it seems they already are – they may start to support him."

Keith's boss groaned at the thought, no doubt already experienced something similar in the past.

"If we can deal with this now, we could possibly, maybe, reduce the collateral damage and get some insight on how he's finding all these White Fang guys too."

The officer sighed, nodded again, and placed the file down, "You've given me a lot to think about… Look, I'll get to you sometime this week, alright? I need to sleep on it." Keith nodded quickly, happy he was considering it, "There is one condition though, Detective Brackenwood."

"Oh?" Keith said, "And what's that?"

"If I do agree and the investigation is pursued, you and your team will have three months to uncover enough evidence against this… vigilante. If not, the investigation will be dropped. Understand?"

Keith deflated slightly but kept a cool gaze, "I understand, sir. And if I'm correct?"

"Well, I can't say much as of now," his boss answered, "The VPDs armed forces itself won't be strong enough to stop the suspect, if said suspect has Aura, so we'll have to resort to using Hunters. Stems off normal VPD procedure, just with more experienced soldiers."

The detective nodded and glanced at the clock. "I should be going now."

"Good," the officer yawned, "Me too, this coffee isn't working no more."

Keith stood up to leave.

"And boy?"

"Yes?"

"I know these cases can get into your head and such, making you emotionally indebted to them and whatnot, but I'm sure Mrs Brackenwood would appreciate her husband to relax every now and then."

Keith paused before smiling gratefully, "I'll keep that in mind."

OoOoO

It wasn't long before Jaune picked up his scroll to find a message from Neo. He wasn't surprised that it was Neo (he didn't have any other contacts), just shocked by how short a time it was since his last meeting. Contrary to the first visit, Jaune's optimism was nowhere to be seen. He knew what to expect from the meeting. The death of that White Fang member was a great introduction to his new job.

Maybe he could send some of the money he earnt back to his family? It would help them of course, and it might just stop the guilt from hurting him too badly. Jaune sighed and reprimanded himself. If he was going to do the job, and not get killed, he would just have to go with the flow. He couldn't run away (Roman had contacts all over Vale) and Roman wouldn't be afraid to get his forged transcripts found out. And perhaps, worst of all, his family would be in danger.

So, no, Jaune couldn't run away. He had no choice but to face everything head on. Even if a part of him died while doing so.

When Jaune finally made it to the location Roman told him to go to, he was glad that they were not meeting in an old warehouse, but an expensive hotel in the centre of Vale. He knew that a messy kid would not be embraced with welcome arms in such a place, so he made sure to dress remotely better than he normally would have done, even with the lack of clothes he actually had. In the end, he had settled on a blue shirt and black jeans with the top two buttons of the shirt undone. Jaune kept his blonde hair messy after two hours of styling it, it was an impossible task.

The secretary, who seemed far deadlier than Jaune expected her to be, spoke before he could.

"Jaune Arc?"

"Yes…?"

The secretary nodded softly and glanced at his face before replying, "Please make your way to room '112'. It's just down that corridor and to the left. Mr. Morrow and his companion is waiting patiently for you." Jaune paused before nodding slightly and turning away.

Fingering his collar, Jaune quickly rushed away from the check-in and towards the corridor the secretary had motioned to.

Jaune stopped and raised his hand to knock against the door. He paused when he heard voices, rather, a single voice talking as if he was on the phone. Jaune realised that Neo had come as well. Probably because they were going to work together.

He knocked. The seemingly one-sided conversation inside stopped but then proceeded with light footsteps towards the door.

The door opened, revealing Roman and a bored Neo sitting on the bed. The first thing Jaune noticed was Roman's appearance. The man had his hair tied up in a small man-bun, missing the usual eyeliner, but still wearing the classy suit save the fedora.

To say he looked different would be an understatement.

"Well, well, well! Kid!" Roman cried, "Must say, it's a pleasure to have you."

Jaune was ushered in and pushed towards a chair. He sat down and turned towards Roman.

"What do you think?" Roman asked.

Jaune furrowed his brow. "Of what?"

"My new name, I'm hurt you didn't notice."

"Mr Morrow?"

Roman nodded contemplatively, and placed a gloved hand atop his chin, as if in thought. "Certainly took a while to come up with, has a wonderful ring to it. Completely average, at least in Atlas it is."

Jaune gazed silently over the man's attire again, wondering why the master-thief would go to such an extent to change his appearance for a meeting. His gaze was noticed by Roman.

"Hm? Miss my old clothes? I'm glad _someone_ appreciates my fashion choices." Roman looked pointedly in Neo's direction, to which the girl rolled her eyes. "These clothes are five times more uncomfortable, and five times less stylish."

Roman looked Jaune up and down. "It seems you've gone and changed your wardrobe as well." He frowned. "It really doesn't fit you. But I'm not one to complain, okay, maybe a little."

Roman clapped his hands.

"Now Jauney-boy, I imagine you're curious about our little operation tomorrow. After all, you'll be doing most of the work yourself." The blonde knew exactly what kind of work he was talking about.

Jaune looked bewilderingly at Roman. "But why? Wouldn't Neo be better suited for that?"

Roman tutted, shaking his head, "Jaune, Jaune, you're mistaken. That previous target Neo killed? It was simply an introduction for you into this line of work."

"A-an introduction?"

The thief nodded, "Indeed, they're all expendable anyway. But, that particular one had made the unfortunate mistake of crossing my path… the fool thought I would be just like the other humans he'd killed. No matter, you will kill eventually if you want to enter that little school of yours."

Jaune sighed, "That was the deal, yes, but… don't you think I'm a bit too… untrained?"

"This is exactly what tomorrow is going to be," Roman smirked, "Training. Practical training."

Jaune made a horrified expression.

Roman laughed, "Neo will just be there to make sure you don't screw anything up, understand?"

The blonde nodded quickly, "Yes, I understand."

"Good."

Roman pulled out a couple pieces of paper, all connected by a single staple. Jaune glanced quickly at the front page before it was facing away from him. It seemed to be a picture of a male faunus, a rabbit one at that.

Roman's tone became business-like. "Moving on, this is your target for tomorrow. His name is 'Mitchell Addison', a goat faunus of 32 years. Single, has few but close friends. He used to be a White Fang member… blah blah blah, family history etcetera-etcetera. Okay, all you need to know Jaune is that he loaded dust into crates. Which means he's pretty tough. Just make sure he doesn't grab you."

Roman turned to Neo, who had laid back down onto the bed.

"Neo dear, you're the support. You watch Jaune enter the building and make sure no-one comes inside, absolutely nobody. I don't care what the hell you have to do."

"And finally, Jaune," Roman smiled, "Don't throw up. It leaves evidence."

OoOoO

Jaune had left the hotel when Roman decided to end the meeting. Roman had told them of the time and place we were expected to find the rabbit faunus. Despite how unprepared Jaune felt about the whole thing, it seemed Roman had prepared significantly well.

Mitchell Addison wasn't having anyone coming over on that day, his few friends were either working or in another kingdom for vacation. Most of his family had been killed sometime in the past ten years due to Faunus riots and the little that were still kicking were far-far away from the White Fang. In essence, Mitchell would be spending his Thursday night on his lonesome.

Jaune didn't feel good about it, not at all. It helped to think that these people had betrayed him personally, rather than just betraying an organisation he wasn't the most familiar with. Jaune kicked a can out the way along the pavement. He winced when an elderly couple glared murderously at him. It seemed that this part of Vale was a tad eco-friendlier than the one close to his family home.

He eventually made it to the block containing his apartment, it wasn't far at all from the hotel Roman had used for the meeting. Barely a twenty-minute walk away. The building itself was old, far older than the more modern buildings surrounding it. Its walls were covered in faint graffiti that was hastily – but not completely – washed off. Jaune didn't truly mind, it was better than a lot of the buildings around his home. As he made it to the front door to his apartment, he stopped.

Did he want to be here?

Jaune covered his face with both his hands. He missed waking up to a noisy household, to shouting girls, a grouchy Dad and a strict mother. He missed all of that. It felt like there was an empty pit in his stomach that was waiting – begging to be filled.

Was it really worth it? Doing all this just to become a Hunter? Maybe he would just end up like his Dad and end up losing a limb or two. He would deserve it, if that was going to be the case.

A shuffling sound disturbed him and he looked up from his sitting position. There, with her pink and white parasol, stood Neo. His supposed partner.

"What do you want?" he asked cautiously.

Neo looked down at him with a scowl on her face. There was however, a faint glimmer of awkwardness present that Jaune almost didn't notice. She paused, as if considering her actions before letting out a silent sigh and pulling out her phone. Neo tapped at the phone quickly – most likely used to having to type in every-day life – and handed the phone to him to read. Jaune accepted the phone and let his gaze fall onto the text.

_You don't have to do this. You can leave._

Jaune let out a sigh, he hadn't been expecting this.

"I can't stop. If I want to be a Hunter then I have to make some necessary sacrifices." Jaune didn't mention the fact that his family would probably never forgive him for leaving so suddenly either.

Neo frowned even more and snatched the phone from his hands and tapped away again. She gave it to him again.

_I thought Hunters were meant to protect humanity?_

He ignored the question, "What's with all the questions, huh? I don't know why Roman didn't just send you to kill the guy, I can't even aim a gun to save my life."

Neo's eyes twitched in annoyance and began to type another message again.

_Which is exactly why you should stop this._ Neo stared expectantly at him.

"I have to do this," Jaune said. He didn't have the qualifications that would grant even a weak Hunter access into Beacon. Roman offering to forge his transcripts was literally his only chance. And he'd already taken part of a mission, he didn't have much dignity left to not continue with his 'work'.

_You're being rather selfish aren't you?_

He glared at her. Neo rolled her eyes at that and shook her head. Jaune ignored it.

"Becoming a Hunter is a good cause… if a few bad guys have to be kill- taken out then so be it." He could rectify all his mistakes. He wasn't a lost cause.

Jaune stood up quickly, ignoring the glare Neo was giving him and turned to open the door.

"And- and anyway, who knows what Roman will do to my family if I decide to call it quits. I can't afford to put my family at risk. So just leave me alone, okay?" he exclaimed, turning the key and pulling the door knob. He entered his apartment and turned around. Neo still hadn't moved.

"What? Go already!" Jaune promptly slammed his door shut, leaving himself alone again, in silence.

He stepped away from the door.

Jaune sat down atop his mattress and let his head hang. He let himself sit there for what felt like hours. He didn't know what time it was, save only for the fact that it was dark outside. Neo had probably left by then. And what did he care? She was a murderer.

Jaune felt his leg brush up against something. He looked down and found Crocea Mors, resting against the wall.

Why had he taken this sword?

He held the handle and lifted the blade up, letting the tip swing around dangerously.

To be like his father?

He fell back onto the bed and let his arm fall to the side.

He couldn't sleep. The constant sound of car engines, the chatter between drunk accountants across the street, the ramblings of a homeless man sleeping in the hallway upstairs, the scuttling of rats, the sound of everything kept him awake.

It was so very different from his home.

The ordinary guitar rested in the corner, begging to be played. A tight smile graced his lips before he even realized it. He tentatively picked up the wooden guitar, its neck firmly planted in his left hand. Jaune searched for the instructions book and found it resting on the wooden dining table he barely ever used. Pulling out a chair and letting himself relax, Jaune turned the pages of the book to the first song.

He hadn't practiced playing the chords nor were his fingers hardened. Jaune just wanted to play, even if it was bad practice. He played around by plucking at each of the strings, getting used to the sound that the instrument was making.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes to hours, and the noisy city life outside was tuned out.

His older sisters had told him that his father had always played the guitar when he was younger. He couldn't remember it, but he had seen the dusty remnants of his father's hobby hidden away at the back of a cupboard.

Jaune gave a last strum to the strings and grimaced.

"I hope this is worth it," he muttered.

Of course it was.

He gave the guitar one final look, before placing it back in its place in the corner and turning to his bed before sliding underneath the blanket.

He didn't sleep a wink that night.


	5. Chapter 5

Neo drove in silence, which wasn't all that surprising. The atmosphere was tense. There was no doubt it was because of their one-sided argument yesterday, but Jaune decided to ignore that, at least for now. They had a job to do after all.

Jaune knew that the van was heading to the east of Vale, scarily close to his old home, if not a few blocks away. The east-side of Vale wasn't pretty. Like most cities in Remnant, Vale had its fair share of bad neighborhoods. This part of Vale simply was dangerous, not to mention it was almost suicidal for a human to walk through some of these streets. His family had insisted he never went out after dark when he was younger and after demanding why, gave a very reasonable explanation.

Faunus had been allowed the east-side ever since the Faunus Revolution that offered them more rights. The east area wasn't as big as the rest of Vale, but it was a definite improvement.

Unfortunately, humans take time to adjust to change. All the humans that had lived in the east hated the newcomers, murderously so. Street shooting, strikes, bombing, anything to get the faunus to leave. Eventually, most of the human inhabitants up and left their houses, either leaving to live in another country or some other part of Vale. The east was now heavily dominated by Faunus with a horrible vendetta against humans. Jaune half-expected a brick to come flying at his car window.

The van he was in was a plain white van. Its number plate completely made up, but not so unusual people would take notice.

Jaune fingered the collar of his shirt as they neared their destination. He felt the butt of his gun pressing into his lower back, silently reassuring him even if he didn't want to use it. He'd rather be armed in a place like this than be a walking target.

He had seven bullets, which was more than enough to protect himself.

Neo parked the car on the opposite side of the road to Mitchell's house. This neighborhood seemed less poverty stricken than the other streets they had passed, and so the houses seemed in much better shape. Mitchell's house was fairly clean, ignoring the strands of vines that intertwined with the bricks at the bottom left of his house.

Jaune picked up his clipboard and pen. He stepped out of the car and made his way over to Addison's front door. He pressed the doorbell and waited. Jaune twiddled his thumbs impatiently, he wanted to get the mission over and done with after all. The faunus couldn't be asleep, it was far too early. Only about 6:30am. Jaune would have liked to have come earlier, to make their guise a bit more credible, but then it would have been too dangerous. However, despite the time, it was very dark and soon the sky would be filled with light emitting from the depths of Vale.

The door creaked open and Jaune turned to see his target.

"Who're you?" the goat faunus grunted.

The faunus stood six foot five, a couple of inches taller than Jaune himself, bearing a scruffy stubble and messy thick brown hair. Two horns, resembling those of a goat, erected above the man's temple. He was indeed the man from the picture Roman had shown him.

Jaune gave him a weak smile. "Hey, I'm er, Jaune. Mitchell Addison, right?"

The goat faunus narrowed his eyes, "You must be the guy I called for two days ago."

"Yes, that's right. I'll be checking your boiler." Jaune held up the clipboard for the faunus to see. "I just need you to sign a couple of things first."

Mitchell glossed over the form quickly before opening the door a little bit wider.

"We should do this inside, we're letting in enough cold."

Jaune sighed silently in relief as Mitchell closed the front door behind him. First step done.

Mitchell led Jaune deeper into the house and into the dining room. There was paper scattered across the wooden surface of the dining room table, presumingly something to do with his work. Some walls had pictures placed upon them, pictures of Mitchell and his parents, cousins, brothers, and sisters.

It seemed that the faunus had been a part of a large family. Whether they were alive or not, Jaune didn't know. Roman hadn't told him lots of the details surrounding Mitchell Addison after all, just what he needed to know.

"Okay then, just set it down 'ere." Mitchell pointed to the one free space of the table. Jaune placed down the clipboard and answered any of the questions the faunus wanted answered. Roman had gave him the basic gist of how to pretend to be a boiler repair man. To bullshit your way through answers with the little common sense he had.

And that's exactly what he intended to do.

In the end, it didn't take long for the form to be written. Luckily so, as Jaune was sure Neo was getting impatient outside. He had to make sure he had an escape plan beforehand first.

"Can you show me your boiler Mr Addison?" Jaune asked.

Mitchell nodded. "It's just around the back, I'll show you around quickly."

The faunus took him towards the rear of the house, pointing out the toilet on the way.

"The toilet is just on your left here, and the boiler is down this hallway, alright?"

"Thank you," Jaune rubbed the back of his head, "and uh, if it would be alright, could I have a cup of tea. It's been a long day."

The faunus rubbed his face with one hand, "I don't have no tea, plenty of coffee though."

"I'll have that then, thanks."

Mitchell nodded, "I'll call you when it's ready." Jaune thanked him as he turned away towards the kitchen. Jaune turned away himself, he had a job to do.

Jaune didn't actually need directions around the house. He had already seen the map layout of the building beforehand, albeit only the first floor. Instead of going into the boiler room, Jaune kept going down the hallway and towards the back door. Jaune sighed in relief as he saw the key already placed inside the keyhole. That saved him a fair amount of time.

Jaune stepped over some of the shoes lying across the floor and turned the key anti-clockwise, opening it.

"Jaune!"

He jumped in shock, turning towards the hallway.

Nothing.

"Oi, your coffee's ready!"

Jaune paused for a moment, before laughing nervously in relief. He pulled two gloves from his pocket and pulled them on.

He entered the dining room and saw Mitchell leaning against the side, with a mug of coffee in his hand. Another mug sat atop the messy table on a coaster.

The faunus handed him his mug, "Here you go, a tad hot though."

"Thank you," Jaune mumbled.

There was a moment of silence as both of them sipped at their coffee.

"So, large family, huh?" Jaune said.

Mitchell looked at him. "What?"

"Do you have a large family?" Jaune asked again. Mitchell walked over to the picture mounted on the wall.

"I do."

"So where are they all now? Close?" Jaune placed his mug down.

The faunus' back was turned.

Mitchell gripped the frame, "Lots of them are gone now, but I do have a couple of cousins around Remnant."

"Oh really?"

"Didn't like the look of Vale. They up and went the moment they could, can't say I blame them." The goat faunus sighed and Jaune almost felt compelled to pat him on the back.

Instead, he pulled out his pistol.

"Y'know, we don't get many humans around these parts. I was worried…"

Jaune raised his arm.

"…you were someone suspicious. But when I got a good look at you? A kid! Who would 'ave-"

A shot.

A single bullet gave a deafening blow to Mitchell's spine, his clothes ripping as the Dust tore at the fabric. His body convulsed and shot back into the Kitchen table. The faunus' arms went flying, his hands pulling at a couple of dirty plates, causing them to topple and crash across the checkered-stone floor.

Jaune stared at the body. The dead body of Mitchell Addison.

He let out a breath, and then another and another and then one once more. He was freaking out, he realized. He tried to let out a word, but his voice wouldn't work. Jaune wiped the sweat from his brow and scrunched up his eyes. He dropped the pistol onto the coffee table.

He needed to get Neo, get her to clean up any of his mistakes. She was a professional after all, she was used to this. Used to working with Roman, working with blades, working with guns. Used to…

Killing.

He had killed someone.

What would his sisters, his parents think?

What would anyone think? That he of all people had killed someone, that he had killed someone just so he could… could…

"Thought that would work, eh?"

Jaune turned. Mitchell stood there, a malicious grin adorning his features. A tinge of wispy green, so faint Jaune questioned if had even seen it, covered the faunus from head to toe. Jaune blinked and took a shaky step backwards.

"Didn't know, huh?" the faunus asked, "That I had this?"

The confusion must've been apparent on Jaune's face, because Mitchell began to laugh.

"It seems…" the man said, "that you weren't told everything about me."

A glowing fist struck Jaune's stomach. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air and coughing up blood.

"That I had Aura."

A foot struck his chin, sending him back.

"I thought you were just a kid," The faunus gripped Jaune's head, ripping a few strands of hair from his scalp. "But man, I should've known better."

Jaune clutched his stomach and began to crawl across the floor. He yelped in surprise as he felt his leg being pulled back. He kicked with his free foot wildly. The faunus placed both of his hands onto his left foot indifferent to Jaune's struggle to escape.

"Seems like you're little inexperienced, seeing your reaction. But I guess all murderers have to start somewhere…"

Jaune screamed as he felt his left foot crack under the pressure. The faunus' lips fell into a scowl, his whole demeanour changing into a raging bull, rather than the cold calculated animal he had been just before.

"Stop…" Jaune gasped. "Please stop."

"Stop? Now, why would I do that?" the demon lowered his voice to a growl, "Begging for mercy at the slightest bit of pain… humans like you make me sick."

Jaune's eyes danced around, looking for an escape.

"You know, _your_ kind killed my family. _Your _kind killed my brothers, my sisters. Even my fuckin' parents. You think you're suffering right now, huh? You think you're hurting?"

Mitchell twisted the limb again. "When the humans raided my home, they raped my sister. Called her a horned freak, they did."

Jaune choked a sob as pain convulsed through his body.

"I begged and begged for them to stop. And you know what they did?" The faunus picked Jaune up by the shirt and threw him across the room with a grunt. "They spat in my fucking face."

Jaune hit the coffee table, his back smashing against the top, sending everything atop of it with him. Close to unconsciousness, Jaune groaned in pain as he felt his whole body burning. With a desperate burst of adrenaline, Jaune rolled behind the sofa, slumping down.

"Do you still have family, Jaune? A mother, father? Even a sister perhaps?"

His back felt terrible, and he didn't dare look down at his left leg.

"Oh fuck." Could a leg heal from such injury?

Jaune wiped the blood from his forehead and his gaze fell down to the floor. His vision was hazy, but if he focused. He could just make out something.

Something...

The pistol.

"Would you like it if I raped your sister, Jaune?"

Jaune quickly grabbed it and stumbled to his feet, wincing in agony. He turned and pointed his arm at the faunus. Jaune's eyes were gleaming with fury.

"There's no use using that, runt. It ain't going to stop me."

His arm wavered slightly. Jaune narrowed his eyes. He could hit him from this close up.

"Don't you dare… say that about my sisters."

Jaune pulled the trigger. A bullet smashed against the faunus' stomach.

Mitchell snarled. "You fuckin' human-"

The point of impact shone green as another bullet hit Mitchell's shoulder. The faunus growled and stepped forward to attack. Instead, three more bullets shot at the faunus, pushing him back. Jaune didn't know what he was doing anymore, he was surprised he could even hit the guy with his leg putting him off balance.

And then it happened.

Something cracked, something broke.

Mitchell Addison's eyes widened. "Wait, stop-"

His voice was abruptly cut off as the last bullet cut through flesh.

It was a morbidly satisfying sound.

Mitchell's body slumped to the ground like a dead weight, flailing hands bringing down a picture frame with him. Thick blood seeped out of the bullet wound and drenched the once blue shirt into a dirty mess. Cold eyes glared at him, frozen in a fear he couldn't describe.

Jaune stared in horror at the sight. Before he could think to do anything, a tiny hand pulled the back of his shirt off the floor and dragged him to the back of the house. Neo, it seemed, had finally come into the building after realizing the commotion. Jaune's eyes focused onto the girl. Her expression was a mixture of strain and stoniness that he realized seemed so very uncharacteristic of the usually carefree girl.

Exiting through the back door, Jaune could finally realize why they were rushing so suddenly. Sirens wailed in the background, the sound appearing to be approaching rather fast.

He was thrown over a bush, making Jaune wonder how strong Neo really was. Said girl came quickly after and once again pulled him up as she ran away from the building. He was flung into the back of an inconspicuous blue car. He couldn't feel his leg but that was probably the adrenaline talking. As the car door shut and Neo began to drive, the sirens and tension started to dissipate into the dull drone of a car engine.

OoOoO

Keith stood outside the house, a thermos clasped in his right hand. Three police vehicles and an ambulance were parked on the side of the street and multiple men and women bustled about, putting up yellow tape to ward off any curious pedestrians.

Distressed neighbours all talked of a seemingly young man with light hair entering the house. One woman, who had originally called the police, said she heard shouting and crashing from within the home as she had been watering the garden at the time. Another neighbour began saying how he knew there was 'something off' about the man, although this could have been just because it wasn't the safest street to walk down.

One officer kept a log of who left and entered the crime scene and at what time they did so. Another, a personal friend of his, and his team took pictures of Mitchell Addison's body, the environment surrounding said body, and all the little details that could help gather evidence. The officer who had been first on the scene began writing a report.

Mitchell Addison, a faunus with no living relatives in close proximity, was dead. Suffering multiple bullet wounds yet died due to blood-loss as the ambulance had been too late.

Keith Brackenwood took all this in, and sipped at his beverage.

He hadn't been expecting a murder so soon. Only two weeks had passed since he had told his superior of his suspicions. Keith had been notified by his boss of his new team, a group of twenty or so professionals, to help take down the potential serial-killer.

Taking one final gulp of his drink, Keith trashed the cup and headed over to the crime scene.

"Nice to see you Detective," a short man with aging hair whom Keith could not for the life of him remember his name, greeted him. The man had a laptop held out with a camera connected to it. "Have you taken a look at the scene?"

"Not yet, no. I had a coffee break to wake me up." He explained.

The man frowned. "I'm sure you'll be wide awake when you're searching for clues."

Keith shrugged. "Eh, you get used to it."

A shake of the head was his response and Keith inwardly agreed, you never really got used to dead bodies.

"These are some photos of the area surrounding Mitchell's body. Hard to tell but we can assume there was a single bullet wound, and the three bullets on the floor must have not broken through his Aura."

"Is Mr. Addison registered as an Aura user?" Keith asked.

The man holding the laptop shook his head again. "No, in his file he's just a Faunus who works at a shopping centre, no doubt the only place that'll accept him."

"Because he's a Faunus?" the detective asked curiously, "Or does he have a criminal record."

The man chuckled, "Unsurprisingly both. Let's see, he has a history of shoplifting, vandalism, oh, and attempted murder. This was five years ago."

"A guy like that is bound to make some enemies," Keith said.

"Hm," the man put down the laptop and picked up the camera. After a couple of flicks he stopped. "Oh, seems like he was a part of the White Fang too."

Keith bent down and took the camera from him. The picture showed a cracked, dusty White Fang mask among other pieces of trash. It had been found in the dustbin presumingly.

"I'm surprised you guys found it so quickly," he muttered.

The man laughed, "We had already assumed he was and did a search through his house. Even without the mask there's enough evidence to show he was connected to the White Fang at some point."

Keith's mind raced. This meant that the murder was connected to the others, and since Mitchell Addison had Aura himself… the murderer was definitely not a pushover. Looking back through the pictures, there definitely was a scuffle.

A hunter perhaps?

The detective hummed and stood up. "I'm going inside to have a closer look at everything. I'm sure the evidence has been sent to forensics team?"

The man nodded, "They have, but it's not going to be checked for at least a couple of weeks. They say it's not a top priority."

"Not top priority! Those uptight… bah, nevermind. Have the report along with the photos sent to my email."

Keith turned and strode over to the house.

The murders could have unrelated, but it was too much of a coincidence that that several White Fang members died in relatively quick succession to each other.

Young man, light hair. Cracked mask. Keith took out a small notebook and wrote it down.

He'd discuss his thoughts with his team later.

OoOoO

Roman looked down at the unconscious boy on the table. He cursed and stomped out his cigarette. He was in a bad mood, not just because of the blonde's condition, but the consequences of the blonde needing medical assistance. They were inside of one of the many White Fang hideouts across Vale, this one being one of the smaller, but very well hidden, hideouts. Roman hadn't wanted the White Fang to know of Jaune so soon, but sometimes things didn't go to plan.

It wasn't all Jaune's fault though, he knew. But mostly his.

The master thief turned to a faunus standing by him. "You're a doctor, right?"

The faunus, whose cat ears perked in surprise, gulped, "Not officially, sir. But close enough."

Roman cut him off. "Yeah yeah. How bad is the kid's condition? Can he still walk? Can he still work?"

The doctor peered at Jaune's injuries, checking his bruises and lightly poking his mangled leg.

"I can't say for sure, not without an x-ray scan. But it seems that most of his injuries can heal within the next month or so… His leg however… I'd guess that he wouldn't be able to walk normally for the next ten years of his life."

Roman swore, "Can you get him to heal faster?"

The doctor trembled, "Not unless he had Aura. All of the equipment we have as of now isn't capable of healing him any less than a couple of months." The master-thief sighed, and rubbed a gloved hand across his ginger hair.

"Alright, unlock his Aura then."

"But sir!" The faunus turned to Jaune in disgust. "He's a human."

Roman narrowed his eyes, his fists clenching his cane. "So what?"

"He's a- a human. I can't unlock his soul. It's uh, bad luck." The doctor had chosen the wrong time to be stubborn about his traditions, Roman was in a bad mood.

"Does it look like I give a damn?" Roman asked.

The faunus yelped, before frantically shaking his head.

"Good, it seems you have the right idea." Roman raised his cane, and shot the faunus' foot. The doctor crumpled to the floor, clutching his foot in pain.

"Oi! You damn rodents," Roman yelled to the door, "Get in here!"

Two faunus, seemingly guards, ran in. "Yes sir!" They reeled back in horror as they saw their friend holding his bleeding foot.

Roman ignored their reactions, turning to the faunus on the left. "Take this animal trash away from here. I don't want to ever see his sorry face again. Do you understand?" The thief turned to the other faunus. "And you. Unlock this kid's Aura, and don't even think about your 'bad luck'."

Both of the guards nodded in fear, and carried out their duties.

Roman looked at the sight of Jaune, as a pitiful guard reluctantly attempted to unlock his aura.

"-this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Um… infinite in distance and unbound by death-"

Roman turned away, twirling his cane as he did so.

He would pay the kid when he woke up.


	6. Chapter 6

Ruby bounced around her bedroom in excitement. How could she not be when she was going to Beacon! Beacon! That could train to be a Hunter with her sister, be in a team like Dad was… well, maybe not exactly like Dad's team but one that was ten times cooler.

The red-tinted haired girl grabbed her three sets of gothic lolita dresses (all the same colour of course) and shoved them into a small suitcase on her bed while her weapon was carefully folded up into a nice little case that sat to the side. It was obvious where Ruby's priorities were. Once she was done she zipped out of her room with the help of her semblance.

"Dad!" Ruby shouted. "I'm done packing."

Dad, or Taiyang Xiao Long, looked up from his newspaper and smiled gently.

"Well, you're far ahead than your sister then. Probably still picking out her clothes."

Ruby smiled smugly, "Don't you know what my semblance is?"

The blonde man laughed and put down the newspaper on the coffee table, "How could I forget? You were just a little girl by the time you activated it. Yang was so jealous when you beat her records for all the races."

"I was not!" A new voice exclaimed, entered the room. "In fact, I bragged to all my friends how my cute little sister beat me."

Taiyang wiped his legs with his hands and stood up. "Ah Yang, nice of you to join us. Have you finished packing yet or were you just texting your friends?"

Yang rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Of course I have, I don't know why you want us to pack a week before we actually leave."

"Knowing you Yang, you'd need a week to pack your stuff." Dad smirked at the irritated glare that came his way. "It's always better to be safe than sorry and anyway, isn't it a weight off your shoulders now that you're packed?"

Yang shrugged and flopped onto the sofa, "You and your old man logic."

"Well regardless, I'm glad both of you got into Beacon. Have you said your goodbyes to all your friends?" Taiyang asked.

"Yep, they're super jealous." Ruby piped in. While she didn't have many friends like Yang the ones she did have were tight knit.

"Eh, mine are all going anyways. I'll see them there." Yang said.

Ruby suddenly felt a little nervous when she thought of going to Beacon. Yang had her friends to fall back on but she would have to make new friends, and who would want to be friends with a girl two years younger than everyone else?

Taiyang noticed Ruby change in mood and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll both make a lot of new friends. There's no telling who will be in your team."

Ruby perked up at his words. Yang glanced over from her couch and twisted onto her side so she was facing them both. "Do you know what it will be like this year Dad?"

"Nope," the man grinned, "And I wouldn't tell you if even if I knew. It'll spoil the surprise! The headmaster likes to change the team picking process every couple of years for some reason after all."

"Boo, you're no fun." Yang complained. Taiyang laughed and sat back into his teal with a warm smile on his face as he watched both of them.

"You'll have fun at Beacon, trust me. Just promise your Dad that you'll look after each other, alright."

Yang propped herself up onto her elbow and gave her own grin. "Of course! Wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'll have to stop Yang from getting into trouble anyway." Ruby said.

Taiyang stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "Great, that's my girls! Now… what do we want for dinner?"

OoOoOoO

Blake entered her favourite bookshop for the first time in months. The familiar smell made her ease out of her urge to hide and the crawling sensation of disappointment creep up on her. After all, Tukson was the owner of the shop, and he was a good friend.

The fact she had been gone for so long without telling him, made her want to just hang her head in shame. Although, her absence was reasonably justified.

A bell rang as Blake opened the door to the shop, a new one as the old one had stopped working long ago. Books of all genres and every type aligned the sides and stands. Each stand was alphabetically ordered by author and had a snippet of writing detailing the pros and cons of some of the more popular books. Blake herself had helped Tukson in this regard, as most of the books in the shop she had been given for free. Despite Tukson's insistence, she refused to not help around the shop, even if only for a while.

Blake smiled at the memory while she adjusted the bow atop her head. She still wasn't used to having the ribbon around her two appendages, and it dampened her senses, but as long as it kept her true nature hidden from the general public, she was fine with it.

Blake walked deeper into the shop, reading some of the newer titles that she had failed to get her hands on in the past couple of months.

A stern but polite voice broke the silence. "Terribly sorry, I didn't see you come in."

She perked her head up. Tukson entered the room from the staff door, failing to notice her and rushed behind the counter.

The man worked at the cashier. "If you need anything, just yell."

Blake stood up straight, a slight smile adorning her lips. "Hello, Tukson."

"Huh, Blake?" Tukson turned to look at her fully. "Blake! It is you!"

He jumped over the counter and pulled her into a hug, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, it's been ages since I've seen you. Did you leave? Everyone's named you a traitor."

Blake frowned and pulled out the embrace.

She rubbed her arm. "It's- it's a bit complicated."

"I have all day. Mondays are usually quiet, at least in the mornings." Tukson pulled out a reading chair and handed it to her, she sat down gratefully.

Blake scratched at her bow. "I ran away from the White Fang," she admitted.

Tukson stopped and wiped a hand across his face. "That- that is complicated."

Blake nodded in agreement.

"Can't say I don't blame you, I've been thinking of leaving for a while as well."

The girl looked at him in shock. "Really?"

"I feel it's turning into exactly what the general public think of them as. A terrorist organization rather than a group of faunus fighting for their rights." Tukson shook his head. "It's not right."

Blake smiled, "That's exactly what I think."

"That's good. But it's not the only reason I've decided to leave. A lot of shady business is happening among the leaders."

"Adam?" she asked.

"I'm not too sure, but one of my friends sneaked in on one of the meetings. He managed to escape of course. But uh…" Tukson swallowed. "He's dead now. It seems whatever was being discussed was too important to be let out"

Tukson shook his head, "I don't wanna involve myself in that and I'm glad you're doing the same."

"That's crazy," Blake muttered, "To think that they would kill their own brothers…"

The doorbell rang again, and a boy limped into the shop.

"Oh, hello Jaune," Tukson greeted. Blake shuffled in her seat awkwardly, realizing how close the man was to letting their secret slip.

'Jaune', as he was called, smiled and nodded back, albeit flustered. He began to look through a stand containing music books.

"He's a regular. Good kid."

Blake looked quizzingly at him.

"Oh, it's nothing. He's been visiting this store a lot recently, says I sell some of the better music books." Tukson winked, "And that the customer service is great."

Blake hummed in response. "Is he a musician?"

"Actually no," Tukson said, "He's been accepted into Beacon."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

Tukson slapped her on the back, "Why don't you go over and say 'hi'? He might be a future teammate."

"What, no!" She hissed, before straightening. "And how do you know I was going to Beacon?"

"You wouldn't be here in Vale if you weren't," Tukson smugly replied. "Now go, he might leave."

Blake glared at him, before sighing in defeat. "All right, whatever. I'll talk to him."

"Oh, and before you go." Tukson pointed to the top of her head. "Fix that ribbon of yours if you don't want anyone to see your ears."

Blake angrily tightened the ribbon and adjusted it. "Better?"

"Beautiful."

She huffed, before turning and walking over to Jaune. The shop wasn't necessarily massive, but the large stands made and amount of books made the room appear larger than it truly was.

Blake slowed down as she got closer to the boy, eventually stopping to pick up a book that drew her interest. They were in the music section, which meant the books were either autobiographies of famous musicians or just books filled with music.

Blake was about to put the autobiography back when she heard Jaune humming.

She turned in surprise to see him reading a guitar tutorial book. She wondered where she had heard it from.

"That's a nice song," she said.

Jaune almost jumped in surprise and looked towards her, face flushed.

"I like to read the music by humming." He scratched his cheek. "So I can get a feel..."

Blake smiled at his embarrassment, even if she too felt stupid for commenting on it. "What do you play?"

Jaune held up the book for her to see. The guitar. "I can't play well, I'm not that good yet." He placed the book back. "How about you?"

She shook her head. "I've never been one to play." Instruments were too expensive anyway.

Blake paused for a bit, "Tukson's taken a liking to you."

"Oh, strange."

"Yeah." She nodded and folded her arms. "He probably doesn't like how you only buy music books though."

"Well, I'll explore a bit then..." Jaune said, "Actually, are there any books on uh, sign language?"

Blake nodded, "Yep, should be a few in the language session."

He leaned onto his left leg as he turned to look and winced.

"Is there something wrong with your leg?" Blake asked, he had been limping before.

"Something like that." he said, frowning.

Blake hummed. "Oh, really?"

Jaune mulled over his words before deflating. "It's... it's embarrassing."

"Embarrassing?"

Jaune shrugged. "It's just... I don't like talking about it. It's not every day a Hunter can't walk straight."

"Tukson did say you were going to Beacon." She shook her head. "And anyway, your teammates will help you."

Jaune looked at her in disbelief. "Teammates?"

"You didn't know?"

"No, I didn't. Well, that's a relief." He pondered before chuckling, "I have people to carry me."

She let a smile slip onto her face.

"That's only if you become a team leader."

"Unlikely..." Jaune muttered. "It would be nice, though."

He turned to her and scratched his head, "I don't think I caught your name..."

"Blake," she replied. "Blake Belladonna."

"My name's Jaune, you already know this."

"Indeed."

Jaune chuckled, "Are you going to Beacon as well then?"

"Yes, actually," Blake said, "I'll be seeing you there next week."

"That's good, yes, I'll see you-"

Jaune's pocket vibrated and his smile slipped. He gave her a silent look of apology and pulled out a scroll. He glanced quickly at his books. "Well, I'm um, going to buy these. I better be going."

"Important appointment?" she asked.

Jaune laughed nervously, "Something like that." Blake looked perplexed, why was he being so defensive?

He grabbed the first book on sign language he could find before walking over to Tukson. After a rushed exchange of lien, Jaune made his way out of the shop. Blake watched as he hobbled away from the shop.

Blake followed his trail and walked over to Tukson. "What was that all about?"

The older faunus frowned, "Busy lad that one, always has somewhere to be, or so I've seen."

Tukson leaned his elbows on the side. "So, how'd you find him?"

Blake folded her arms, "Defensive. But anyone would be like that if a random stranger said they knew them."

"You didn't have to mention that to him, you know." Tukson pointed out.

She rolled her eyes, "Otherwise, he's a nice guy. I don't know how he got accepted into Beacon with that leg of his."

Tukson scraped his sideburns, "Can't answer that. He won't tell me how his leg got so injured that even Aura wouldn't heal it."

Blake gave up. It wasn't her business, "Anyway, we have another topic to address."

The man nodded. "You're right. Yes, I'll be leaving the White Fang. I guess sooner would be better than later."

"Where will you go?" Blake asked.

Tukson sighed. "Somewhere far away hopefully. The White Fang doesn't like traitors. Which reminds me." He gave her a worried glance. "Are you sure you'll be fine in Beacon?"

She waved a hand, "I'll be fine, I have the teachers to protect me."

"I know, but-" Tukson mulled over his words. "Just be careful, yes? Your disappearance already gave me a heart attack. I would not like to find out from word and mouth that one particular cat faunus was killed."

Blake gave him a wry smile, "Like I said, the teachers will stop any threat. Beacon is one of the better schools for Hunters, anyway."

The bookseller placed a hand on her shoulder. "Alright, but I always worry. And anyway, I'm sure your parents worry even more."

She rubbed her arm. "I know, but... I think this is the right thing to do. Going to Beacon, that is."

Tukson ruffled her hair, being careful not to touch her bow, "Well, I support whatever you do. Just make sure you call occasionally. It gets lonely."

Blake smiled, "Of course."

"Where are you staying now anyway?" he asked.

"In the hotel a couple of blocks away."

Tukson furrowed his brow, "Isn't it expensive?"

"It's the cheapest." Blake reasoned.

"Where did you get the money?"

Blake flushed, "Old habits die hard." She had left the White Fang with nothing but the clothes on her back (and books in her bag) anyway. And being a member of a terrorist organisation wasn't exactly the greatest qualification to show to employers.

"I'll let you off for now, but if you decide to stupidly steal anything while you're in Beacon." Tukson scrutinized. "I'll be calling your parents right away."

She smirked, "You wouldn't."

"You bet I will." He growled, before softly adding. "Now...I actually have to work now. I have customers."

Blake smiled ruefully, "It was nice seeing you, Tukson."

"Likewise."

She exited the shop with a smile on her face, glad to have talked to Tukson. Blake thought of the blonde haired boy, Jaune. She could probably greet him at Beacon, after all, he was friends with Tukson. He treated Tukson kindly, so why not give him a chance and become friends? Blake decided to at least say 'hello'.

OoOoO

Jaune ran quickly away from Tukson's book shop. It was hard on his leg, but he tended to ignore it. Roman had told him that his leg would just heal over time, that his unlocked soul - his aura- would get it back to normal eventually. Jaune hoped so, the worry ate at him in the middle of the night where he couldn't sleep, or when he wondered how he would even survive in the school, much less the real world with real Grimm.

But then he thought of Blake, the girl who seemingly was going to become a Huntress herself, who had told him that he would have a team. That scared him even if he had been joking beforehand. Would his leg inhibit the successes of his team?

Jaune shook himself and held up a hand in thanks as a car stopped to let him cross. The city streets of Vale were packed that day. It was about the time of rush hour so men and women of all working castes bustled up and down the pavements. He hobbled between businessmen and some elderly couple as he neared his destination Neo had sent him. He'd hoped that... he had hoped that Roman wouldn't send him out again, not with the start of Beacon coming up. It had only been a week and a half since that day, the day he- the day he…

Jaune stopped at a convenience store and bought a small batch of food. He left quickly.

The blonde continued walking closer and closer to the edge of the city, the shops becoming more and more obscure as he passed them. The sounds of loud traffic and grouped chatter merged into one as he felt them drift further and further away. It hadn't been fifteen minutes until he realised he was near the industrial side of Vale. Jaune stopped at an intersection and reread the text.

He went left.

As he walked down the pavement Jaune huddled in the cold. It was getting darker, he realised and soon only the lights of the street lamps would be guiding him along. With that in thought, his movement grew faster.

On the left of the pavement, opposite the road, a fence was erected. It blocked him from a grassy bank leading up to a railway line. Jaune glanced at it with interest before turning forward again. Up ahead, a large brick building stood out. It stood out as there wasn't another building in sight, not when it was that dark. Jaune hobbled over towards it.

Upon nearing said building, Jaune noticed that it was indeed abandoned, Roman seemed to like them as places for meetings strangely enough. Jaune stopped outside of the building and looked up. The sign suggesting what it was originally for was stripped away, either from wear and tear or from some person looking to sell anything of value. The door showed signs of age as the paint had peeled off. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The lights were already on. Why an abandoned house had electricity running through it? He had no idea.

Jaune limped forwards and peeked into the first room on the right. Empty. He moved on, checking each room before finally he entered what seemed to be an office.

Twirling in what was one of the office chairs, was his messenger.

"Hello, Neo," Jaune greeted.

She stopped and faced him, presenting the seemingly harmless umbrella lying in her lap. She nodded to him, almost indifferently were it not for the quick glance to his leg. He leant against the door frame.

Jaune sighed and shuffled awkwardly, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, before our last mission." He rubbed his arms. "It was rude of me."

Neo blinked in surprise as Jaune walked over to her.

"I was just... a bit stressed about the mission and well, it won't happen again." He took off his bag and placed it by the desk. Jaune took out a bag of sweets.

"I don't really know what kind you like, so I picked the most expensive ones."

The girl gave him a look of disbelief.

He blushed. "It's thanks for getting me out of there."

Neo nodded slowly and let a smile grace her face. It was strange to think how a girl like her, someone who had mercilessly stabbed a man to death, could smile like that.

"_Humans like you make me sick._"

He frowned.

The lamp rattled as a train passed, the roaring of its wheels breaking the silence.

"Do you know where Roman is?" Jaune asked.

Neo pointed to a door to the side of the room.

Licking his lips, Jaune strode up to the door Neo had directed to him and entered.

The room he was now in was almost like a hall, a big empty room with only a select few objects sitting in the corner and side. What actually caught his attention however, was of course the man sitting in the centre.

"Took your time, didn't you?"

Jaune paused. "I'll try and be quicker next time."

"Of course you will." Roman said. "Now, did you bring that blasted sword with you?"

"Um, no." He hadn't touched it.

"Good, you would have just attracted unnecessary attention, and that," Roman clapped, "after the whole goat fiasco, would not be very clever."

Jaune groaned.

"Not very clever indeed. As such, I brought a replacement." The criminal pointed towards a table to the side, where a single sword rested along with a water bottle.

"I thought I was only using the pistol for the uh, missions."

Roman nodded. "You are. This is for Beacon. If they realise that you in fact, can't swing your sword much less hold it correctly. Ozpin may decide to take a second look at your transcripts, and Brothers forbid, let Goodwitch look at it."

Jaune furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar name but wrote it off as someone important.

"So, I just need to pass off as a decent swordsman." Jaune said. "Got it."

Roman sighed, "It would be that easy, if you hadn't so badly screwed up your leg. You're going to have to bastardise a stance to better suit your body. We will have to work around that disability of yours."

"If only I could walk around it." Jaune muttered.

"Hah! I guess you grew a backbone when that animal activated your Aura."

Jaune cheeks darkened but did not respond. Instead he placed down his shopping by the side and picked up the sword.

He remembered seeing some of the White Fang members wielding similar weaponry when he was able to hobble his way around.

Jaune felt the sword in his hands and swung it around experimentally.

Roman raised an eyebrow at his movements. "Did you get any training? Your father hold any secret lessons in your back garden?"

"We didn't have a back garden…" Jaune mumbled.

"So, no experience then. And you want to go to Beacon?" Roman stared at the blonde incredulously.

Jaune scratched his head bashfully. "Can we just start, please?"

"Lighten up missy, it was just a question," Roman said, "Besides, we do need to have a little chat before our bonding session."

Roman pulled up the chair he was sitting on before and told Jaune to sit.

"You working under me while staying at Beacon is risky business. Yes, before you, I wouldn't have even considered the notion. Too much of a bother really. What with all the other work I've been forced to do."

Jaune gave him a confused glance. "Then why-?"

"I was doubting my decision to take you under my wing. You seemed like a right brat when I first found you after all. That was of course, until you proved I had made the right choice.."

Jaune didn't know how to respond. "Right…"

"I had _regretfully_ overlooked the fact you didn't know what you were dealing with. Seriously, did your parents not teach you anything about Aura?"

"My father probably thought I would never have to use it," grumbled Jaune.

Roman muttered something under his breath before leaning on his cane.

"Regardless, you did kill a man with Aura. That's quite something to stroke your ego with, especially if he had already injured you."

Jaune didn't know how to reply to that.

"You see Jaune? You're like a big lump of clay. On your own, you're completely useless… but in the right hands (mine) you have the potential to become something quite useful."

Jaune frowned. "Thanks, I guess?"

The criminal pointed his cane at him. "Indeed, now get up. I'm going to teach you the basics and you better not make it difficult for either of us."

"Yes sir..."


End file.
